I am a high school teacher in Arizona. I teach history and biology,but my degree is in History. I have a full secondary, 7-12 grades, teaching certificate. I know everyone will say "get an international school job". But from my research those are very, very competitive to get. I'm not saying I couldn't find one, but teaching English might be easier to get my foot in the door. So my question is do,any of you think my qualifications would help me land one of the better esl jobs? If so, what is the most realistic salary I could get, and is that enough to live? I figure I might network once I'm there and maybe move to teaching History at some kind of intl school later on. Also, I have both arms sleeved with tattoos. It's not a problem for me here (it helps that they look like colorful art and not gang or prison tats), but I wonder if that would be a deal breaking barrier there. If I have to wear long sleeve shirts, is that hell in the heat there? I appreciate any advice or insight anyone can offer. Thanks.

As a qualified teacher, yes you should look at the international schools here. There are quite a few with varying degrees of reputation and soon (or even now) they will all be looking for teachers for the next school year.

You should in theory be exempt from the TEFL qualification requirement though you might need a certificate if you decide to teach in a language school along with your degree. You should also get things notarized in the USA beforehand as well as get your criminal record check sorted there too. Others will maybe disagree but it's good to have these things if you come across a job that can legitimately sponsor you.

Definitely get an International School job. They're not as competitive as you seem to think. At least where I am, there's a shortage of certified teachers and I know a few schools who are desperate to find some. They offer the best packages too.

About the tattoos, you don't have to mention them if you keep the covered. Yes, it's hot here, but most decent places would require a certain level of professionalism in your dress. My guess is that they would ask you to keep them covered if they knew about them.

I usually prefer short sleeves even with dress shirts but most Vietnamese with white collar jobs, including public school teachers, seem to stick with long. In some respects long sleeves may be more comfortable particularly while riding a motorbike as they keep the sun off of your skin. Even if you stood around buck naked, you wouldn't get much evaporative cooling here (HCMC). From what I gather, in Hanoi during winter you may need long sleeves to keep warm. You will not stand out with long sleeves.